The Best & Easiest Cold Fermented Pizza Dough Recipe

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Our fermented pizza dough recipe is one of the best and easiest recipes you’ll ever make. You can make it for a pizza night or in bulk so you can have pizza throughout the week.

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A fermented pizza dough recipe can seem intimidating or you might think it’s hard to do, but actually, it is so easy that anyone can do it.

I make this exact fermenting pizza dough recipe once a week for my family so we can have pizza dough throughout the week. This dough is one of my favorite things to make because it’s so easy and versatile. 

I am obsessed with pizza!

I can eat pizza every day and so can my kids. But with this pizza dough recipe, we can make more than a pizza.

I love making it because my kids and I can all be creative and make all sorts of yummy treats with this pizza dough.

Fermented pizza dough recipe Table of contents

My kids make this pizza dough by themselves all the time with no issues.

This recipe is not only for pizza lovers. It is for non-pizza lovers as well because you can make so many different things with this pizza dough.

Fermented foods are great for your gut and it lets good bacteria do their magic in your digestive system. Fermenting has many benefits for your overall health and digestion.

In my opinion, if you have a chance to ferment something I would recommend it.

 Fermentation is such an amazing and simple way to start eating healthier overall. You can start eating fermented foods like sourdough bread, sauerkraut, and fermented pickles.

This recipe does not require sourdough, but you are pretty much using the same concept of fermentation to make pizza.

What makes this recipe different?

Compared to other recipes, making another fermented pizza dough recipe can be intimidating. I’ve read some of these recipes online and I’m even confused.

This pizza dough recipe is literally for home cooks. You don’t need a pizza oven, or any fancy equipment or need to know any fancy cooking words or skills. All you need is a regular home oven and love good pizza!

Our pizza dough recipe is simple and makes fermenting easy for an overall busy person. So compared to other recipes, this recipe is foolproof.

This dough is my favorite pizza base, and after a couple of hours of long fermentation, you will get has an airy texture, air bubbles, air pockets, and a crispy crust when it is out of the oven.

Sometimes you just don’t have the time to make luxurious pizza sauce or pizza dough even though the fermentation process takes time. This is a recipe that you can forget about until you’re ready to use it.

Why do you need to make homemade pizza dough? 

Pizza dough is so easy to make and there are so many other things you can do with it. Always having pizza dough on hand will save you a ton of time in the kitchen so fermented pizza dough is perfect because you do use it right away. 

Homemade pizza dough is great for beginners and fermented pizza dough is even better for your gut. 

Even if you don’t eat pizza you can use fermented pizza dough to bake many sides and snacks. If you make our pizza once and will get the benefits of the fermented pizza dough all week. 

You should make pizza because it is easy to store, and freeze and won’t take up much space in your fridge.

Fermented pizza dough recipe Supplies

Mixing bowl

Any mixing bowl you have will help you incorporate all your ingredients. I recommend a stainless steel mixing bowl because it will last you a lifetime, it’s so easy to clean, and you don’t have to worry about plastic chemicals leaking into your dough in the long run.

Measuring cups

Measuring cups and spoons are needed supply because you need to measure all your ingredients to make sure your fermented pizza dough has the best results.

Baking sheet pan/pizza stone

You don’t necessarily need a pizza stone to make pizza, so that is optional. You can use a large baking sheet pan to bake your pizza on.

Glass food containers

Using glass storage containers to hold your fermented pizza dough is the best way because glass is a self-sustainable food container. These containers are used so you hold your dough in your refrigerator to ferment. 

To save space in your fridge use reusable plastic zip-loc -like bags or disposable so you can store your fermented dough. As long as you give some space in the bag for your dough to expand it is a great alternative to a container. 

Kitchen towel (optional)

You probably don’t need to buy a kitchen towel, but any cloth that you have to cover your dough will do.

Dough whisk (optional)

This dough whisk is one of the best things I invested in when baking anything. You don’t necessarily need it to help you mix your dough as you can use anything even your hands. If your budget allows it I would recommend getting a dough whisk… you won’t regret getting one.

Quality Ingredients

4 cups All-purpose Flour 

This fermented pizza dough recipe is so easy because it uses simple ingredients like unbleached flour. The go-to flour I use is organic all-purpose flour because when it comes to flour I try to avoid glyphosate as much as I can.

Glyphosate is the main ingredient in the roundup and is sprayed in all our wheat crops that are not organic, more info about this issue HERE

2 tsp Active dry Yeast 

Active dry yeast is the main ingredient to help your dough rise quickly. It is easy to get at any local supermarket or online store.

In cold fermentation pizza, the yeast will feed on all the sugars and starches in the dough, and through time it will help build amazing flavors.  

Active dry yeast is a key ingredient to make your pizza crust crispy and delicious.

Honey

I avoid using any processed sugar to help my yeast activate so I use honey instead, which works perfectly and gives me great health benefits.

Honey has amazing health benefits which include:

  • Boosts metabolism
  • Improved heart health
  • Improves memory
  • Antioxidant-rich
  • Helps combat cold symptoms & allergies
  • Promotes wound healing

1 Tbsp Himalayan pink salt

Using pink Himalayan salt is my preferred choice just because it is not as processed as regular table salt. If you don’t have Himalayan pink salt on hand, you can use any salt you have.

1 & 1/2 cups Warm Water

Water is used to ferment your dough, so make sure you do not skip this ingredient. We did not get technical in this recipe about the percentages of dough hydration that is fermented. 

This is why our recipe is so easy to do. No worries about hydration percentages. Just use the amount of water we tell you to in this recipe.

1 Tbsp Olive oil

I use extra-virgin olive oil because it provides flavor, and texture, and will make your dough softer and easier to roll out. 

Olive oil is used in the dough recipe and used right before the dough goes into your oven.

Other benefits of using olive oil in a pizza dough recipe are:

  • Helps to increase the volume of your dough during the fermentation process.
  • Provides crisper crust when placing oil over dough after pizza is shaped.
  • Keep your dough moist for a longer time.
  • It does not give pizza an aftertaste after baking.

Toppings

The number of toppings you can put on a pizza is endless really, but a good tip to know is to not overfill your pizza with toppings. 

Favorite toppings:

  • Cheese
  • Pepperoni
  • Sausage
  • Peppers
  • Onions
  • Olives
  • Pineapple
  • All types of greens like arugula and spinach. 

If you’re going to place any green vegetable toppings like spinach or basil on your pizza do it after the pizza is cooked to prevent your greens from getting burnt as the heat might be too much for them.

Pizza Sauce Recipe

We are all about easy, fast, and practical pizza sauce for our homemade pizza. When it comes to pizza sauce, our goal was to come up with a fast and easy recipe that can be made by everyone. 

This pizza sauce is super easy, is fool-proof, especially if you are busy you can make this in a flash.  

Go to pizza sauce recipe: 

  • 28-ounce can of plain tomato sauce
  • A tablespoon of Italian seasoning
  • A teaspoon of garlic powder
  • 1 teaspoon of onion powder
  • 1 tablespoon of parsley
  • 1 teaspoon of Himalayan pink salt
  • 1 teaspoon of maple syrup
  • A pinch of pepper

Tip: If you have time, definitely sauté a whole chopped onion in olive oil until translucent, and you can add that to your tomato sauce instead of adding onion powder.

You mix all your ingredients in a large mason jar, shake it up, and put it in the fridge for you to use later (within a week) or you can use it for pizza sauce right away on your homemade fermented pizza dough. 

Cheese

Just like you can play around with toppings you can play around with the types of cheeses you put on your fermented pizza dough.

Shredding fresh mozzarella cheese on your sauce will give you the best results as the cheese will melt nicely, evenly, and smoothly.

You can use any cheese bag from the supermarket or grated mix cheese, pecorino romano, feta, mozzarella, or gouda, really the skies the limit when it comes to all the types of cheese you can choose from.

Fermented Pizza Dough Recipe Instructions

Set a bowl aside and place your yeast, water, and honey. Leave it to bubble up.

add active dry yeast and honey to water

Get a bowl and place all your dry ingredients together and mix thoroughly. 

Add your water/yeast mixture and mix until you get a large ball of dough. This is when you make sure you mix all the dough until there is no more flour left. You do not need a bowl or a stand mixer the kneading process is so easy and quick.

mixing flour to make oizza dough

Shape your dough into a large ball and place it in your mixing bowl. Use your kitchen cloth to cover bowl. Let your dough sit in a warm place in your kitchen until it doubles in size. 

rolling dough into a ball

After your dough has doubled in size, shape your dough ball and cut it into pieces shaping it into medium or small dough balls.

cutting up pizzaz dough into 4 pieces

You can get two big medium size dough balls pieces or up to four pieces that are medium-small in size. You can also use plastic wrap to wrap left over dough.

Place all your containers or ziploc bags of dough in your refrigerator to slowly ferment overnight so it can be ready to use the next day.

If you’re in a time crunch, you can make pizza with the dough later in the evening (this will give your pizza dough some time to go through the fermentation process during the day). Otherwise, we recommend leaving you doing the fridge for at least 24 hours. 

making a pizza

Pizza Making Steps

When you’re ready to make your pizza, first preheat your oven to 500°F.

Remove one of your containers or bags of already fermented dough and roll it out flat into a circle or whatever shape of pizza you want.

Drizzle a little olive oil on your baking sheet pan and you can sprinkle some sesame seeds at this time if you’d like.

Sesame seeds are used to give your pizza some texture at the bottom.

After your pizza is shaped in place on your pan add your sauce and toppings. 

Bake your pizza in your already preheated oven for 6 to 8 minutes depending on the size of your pizza. Smaller pizzas (6-8 inches in diameter ) take six minutes and bigger pizza (8 inches or bigger in diameter) takes about eigh-ten minutes.

homemade pizza

Cooking time will vary as everyone’s oven strength will differ.

Keep an eye on your pizza, so it won’t burn, and cook until the bottom is nicely cooked and all the cheese is melted.

Storage 

Storing this fermented pizza dough is simple. 

All you have to do is place your dough in separate containers or sealed plastic bags and leave them in the fridge and it will last for at least a week.

I’m sure that before the week is over all the pizza dough will be gone. I cannot have enough of this pizza dough in my fridge weekly.

How to freeze pizza dough

Freezing pizza dough is not hard to do, all you have to do is separate your pizza dough into individual dough balls first. 

Then place your pizza dough balls in an airtight container or bag and place them in the freezer. 

According to USDA, the best practice to freeze your pizza dough is to store it in the freezer for at least 2 to 3 months. No more than that.

If your dough is frozen for more than three months, just be aware of the look as well as the feel of your dough and be cautious of spoiling or bacteria mold.

What to do with this delicious pizza crust? 

There are a lot of recipes you can use leftover pizza dough for. 

The most popular thing to make with pizza dough is pizza, but there are tons of popular and easy things you can make with pizza dough. 

Below are a couple of amazing recipes you can make with pizza dough or leftover pizza dough.

  • Garlic bread
  • Donuts
  • Various flatbreads 
  • Braided bread
  • Buns
  • cheesy bread
  • Calzones 
  • Garlic knots
  • Dough balls 
  • Dumplings 
  • Pretzel bites
  • Pizzas rings 
  • Pizza muffins
  • Pizza doughnuts 

Fermented Pizza Dough Recipe Tips 

  • Always preheat the oven when using a flat baking pan making sure your pan is out of the oven.
  • Preheat the oven with a pizza stone in the oven if you have one.
  • Always drizzle olive oil on the sheet pan instead of parchment paper.
  • Cook pizza on the bottom rack of your oven for the best results 
  • Freshly grated cheese will always melt better than cheese from a prepackaged bag.
  • Less is more when applying your tomato pizza sauce to avoid your pizza bottom developing a soggy dough. 
  • Do not overfill your pizza with toppings before placing it in the oven so it can cook evenly.
  • Use your hands to knead to avoid overworking your dough.
  • Pizza dough should be tacky, not sticky.
  • Splat olive oil over the top of your pizza dough after it is shaped. and ready for toppings.  
  • To have fresh yeast place your instant yeast in the fridge when storing.

Fermented Pizza Dough recipe FAQ

What are the benefits of overnight cold fermentation?

The benefit of cold fermentation is that when you place your dough in a cold area like a fridge, your dough is allowed to ferment slowly, leading the yeast to eat up all the sugars and starches. 

This cold fermentation process helps your pizza create flavor and develop more flavor when baking.

Is fermented pizza dough better for you?

Fermented pizza dough is better for you compared to regular pizza dough because it goes through the fermented process. Fermentation enhances your dough, giving you healthier benefits, such as:

  •  improving digestive health
  •  making your food easier to digest
  •  increasing nutrition in your pizza
  • enhancing your pizza flavor
  •  and provide you with all the health benefits that fermentation food provides.

How long should you bulk ferment pizza dough?

You shouldn’t keep fermented pizza dough in the fridge for no more than a week or two, and no more than three months in the freezer.

If you keep your bulk fermented pizza dough longer than three weeks, watch out for spoilage, and. mold. Use common sense when it comes to food spoilage.

What is the best fermentation time for pizza dough?

The best fermented time for pizza dough is to place it in the refrigerator for at least 24 hours. The longer the dough stays in the refrigerator at the cold temperature the better flavor you will get. 

The longer the fermentation process happens, the longer your yeast will eat up all the sugars and starches creating complex flavors. 

If you want to get the full effect of the fermentation process with your pizza dough the ideal time would be after three days of fermentation but you can certainly get those benefits at 24 hours.

Can pizza dough ferment for too long?

There is no such thing as pizza dough fermenting for too long, so make sure you don’t let it ferment for more than a week.

What Is Cold Fermented Pizza Dough?

Cold-fermented pizza is a process that improves texture and aids browning because the dough is slowly fermenting in a cold environment.

The cold environment makes the dough more workable and provides good bacteria when the fermentation process takes place. 

How do you make pizza without baking steel or pizza stone?

Yes, you can make pizza dough without a pizza steel, or pizza stone. You can bake pizza on a flat baking sheet pan too and get success.

Place olive oil on the bottom of your tray, sprinkle some sesame seeds, and then place your dough on top of it to be. 

You can also use reusable silicone baking sheets to place on your baking tray before you bake your pizza dough. Either way, you do not need to have a pizza stone or baking steel to make pizza.

Take your pizza dough to the next level and make this cold fermented pizza recipe to get great flavor. 

If you love pizza as much as I do, I know you will love this cold fermented pizza dough and make this homemade pizza dough recipe.

Let us know your thoughts about our fermented pizza dough recipe below.

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fermented pizza

The Best & Easiest Cold Fermented Pizza Dough Recipe

Our fermented pizza dough recipe is one of the best and easiest recipes you'll ever make. You can make it for a pizza throughout the week!
Prep Time 1 day
Cook Time 7 minutes
Course Main Course
Cuisine Italian
Servings 6 people

Ingredients
  

  • 2 tsp Active dru yeast
  • 1 &1/2 cups Warm water
  • 1 tsp Honey
  • 4 cups All-purpose flour
  • 1 tbsp Hymalian pink salt
  • 1 Tbsp Olive oil )and some extra drizzling)

Instructions
 

  • Set a bowl aside and place your yeast, water, and honey. Leave it to bubble up.
  • Get a bowl and place all your dry ingredients together and mix thoroughly. 
  • Add your water/yeast mixture to your dry ingredients and mix until you get a large ball of dough.
  • Shape your dough into a large ball and place it in your mixing bowl. Use your kitchen cloth to cover bowl. Let your dough sit in a warm place in your kitchen until it doubles in size. 
  • After your dough has doubled in size, shape your dough ball and cut it into pieces shaping it into medium or small dough balls. (2-4 dough balls)
  • Place all your dough balls in containers or ziploc bags of dough in your refrigerator to slowly ferment over night. It will be ready to use the next day.
Keyword fermented pizza, pizza, pizza crust, pizza night

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Fermented pizza dough
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